The Reality Check Episode 35

Climate Change+Plastic Bags+Ozone Depletion

Climate Change

Part 1:

So, what do we know and what don't we know about climate change? What is climate change?

There are actually many definitions for climate change, but the general idea is longer term changes than just the weather. Climate change is long term, weather change is short term. 

The Reality Check is going to focus on the human part of climate change. 

So, what is a greenhouse gas? Light from the sun arrives on Earth, some would be deflected back from the clouds, and some of the energy is absorbed by the Earth. Some of the energy is reverted back from the surface of the Earth. Certain gases such as CO2 stops that part of the energy from going back out to space, and it traps it on Earth, and that's how it's warming up. 

Well, is the Earth really heating up? Well, from what we know, the Earth is heating up since we have had human activity. We are increasing the amount of CO2 in the air. It already increased the Earth's temperature by 1 degree C, and from what scientists tell us, we might have a 5 or 6 degree C change in the next 30 years. 

This warming has a really high probability of causing changes in rainfall, drought, ice melting, and therefore sea level rise, and less and less food. 

From everything we know, we should not pretend that everything is just okay and ignore everything. We should know that there is a problem, we can't deny that. Even though it seems like this kind of climate pattern has been repeated over several times throughout history before humans were around, we should still try and do something about it. 

Part 2:

Back then, there was a choice to choose a paper bag or a plastic bag. Of course there are many concerns back then as well, such as, which one is dirtier, which one is more environmentally friendly, and things like that. 

Plastic bags actually is a better choice. They weight less, they require less space and energy to ship them. Plastic bags of course create more pollution while being made, but they also have a higher change of being reused. Plastic bags also cost less to make. So, in the long run, plastic bags is the better choice.
But of course just considering those few things plastic bags are better, however there are a lot of other evidence and facts that shows plastics bags are worse for the environment when you come to try to get rid of it.

Layers of the Earth

Part 3:
What's up with the Ozone layer lately? We used to hear about it all the time before, but we don't hear about it anymore these years.
As we all know the Ozone layer is in the Stratosphere. Ozone itself is a molecule formed from 3 oxygen atoms, O3. For every 10 million air molecules, there are around 3 ozone molecules. The Ozone layer absorbes around 97% to 99% of the sun's ultraviolet rays. Naturally, Ozone molecules are destroyed and created, but the amount of it remains constant. Ozone depletion, CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbon), they are stable, non flammable, and non toxic. These molecules contain chlorine, they are not water soluble, so they stay up in the air and just gets blown around and ends up in the atmosphere. They can only be broken from the sun's ultraviolet rays.
More developed countries agreed to not use CFCs at all since 1996, and the CFCs have decreased from our atmosphere.